As we read in Ratana sutta, once the Buddha came to the city of Vesali followed by a large number of monks including the Venerable Ananda, the Buddha attendant disciple, there were torrential rains which swept away the putrefying corpses. The atmosphere became purified, the city was clean. Thereupon the Buddha delivered the Ratana sutta to the Venerable Ananda, and gave him instructions as to how he should tour the city with the Licchavi citizens reciting the discourse as a mark of protection to the people of Vesali. The Venerable Ananda followed the instructions, and sprinkled the sanctified water from the Buddha's own alms bowl. As a consequence the evil spirits were exorcised, the pestilence subsided.
Most of us probably already know that at that time Venerable Ananda was already a sotapanna, a stream winner, who completely eradicated the three lower fetters (saŋyojana) namely self-illusion (sakkāya-ditthi), indulgence in meaningless rites and rituals, (sīlabbata-parāmāsa), and skeptical indecision (Vicikitsa). Therefore, when Venerable Ananda was reciting Ratana Sutta to the people of Vesali, and sprinkling the sanctified water to them along the way, he was definitely not deluded clinging to rites and rituals, but intentionally sprinkled water as to bring people to be attentive, to be mindful so they can benefit from listening to the discourse, not for the purpose of any superstitions.
In Samaññaphala Sutta and in Sila Khandhavagga, the Buddha forbade the monks to perform these wrong livihood acts: "...some contemplatives & brahmans, living off food given in faith, maintain themselves by wrong livelihood, by such "animal" arts as: promising gifts to deities in return for favors; fulfilling such promises; demonology; reciting spells in earth houses; inducing virility and impotence; preparing sites for construction; consecrating sites for construction; giving ceremonial mouthwashes and ceremonial baths; offering sacrificial fires;..." Sprinkling water to remind people to do good deeds in different occasions by monks who live a right livelihood is not the same as using water to perform mouthwashes or ceremonial baths like some non-disciplined monks or some people who perform superstitions do.
In case you have a chance to attend a Buddhist temple or monastery where a monk sprinkles water to you and may chant at the same time, you should bring yourself to the present moments. It would be wise if we can come to self to recollect to the Triple Gems, stay calm, and/or insightfully observe our own body and mind while being sprinkled. These are wholesome deeds that we should do while the monk was sprinkling water to us. However, it is not very wise to assume or judge the monk if he is living a wrong livelihood by indulging in rites and rituals as we cannot read his intention and his states of minds at those moments. While the monk was sprinkling water, he may be radiating loving kindness towards us and other sentient beings, or may be recollecting to the Triple Gems like we do, or may contemplate on his own chanting, or may bring his mind to calm, or may attend to an impermanency of sprinkling water and wish for us to see too. These are wholesome deeds in accordance with the teachings.
These days, monks who live their monkhood lives in accordance with dhamma vinaya are very rare. These respectful monks realized that wholesome deeds through body, speech, and mind prescribed by the Buddha are the only tool which can free them from all kinds of dukkha, not water. They carry right view concerning Kamma-Vipaka which means in this case they realized that water cannot protect or save anyone from harm or suffering but only one's own good deeds. And if he has an opportunity to remind people, for example, to recollect to the Triple Gems by sprinkling water in different occasions, it is a good thing to do. No blind faith nor any superstitions for them! Paying homage to the Triple Gems!
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